San Jose Earthquakes vs. Houston Dynamo | 2016 MLS Match Preview

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
Avaya Stadium | San Jose, California
August 19, 2016 | Week #24 | MLS Game #240
11 pm ET (UniMás, MLS LIVE)

A massive match for a pair of clubs trying to pull themselves back above of the red line is ahead on Viernes de Fútbol when the San Jose Earthquakes play host to the Houston Dynamo at Avaya Stadium. Both teams sit outside the top six and the playoff positions in the conference entering the week. The Quakes are just a point back of sixth-place Portland, their undefeated run now at five games after a 2-1 win at Vancouver Whitecaps FC last weekend. The Dynamo sit at the foot of the West table, 10 points behind the Quakes with 11 games to play, their winless run now at six games following a 1-1 home draw with Toronto FC last Sunday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium.

• The Earthquakes extended their undefeated streak to five games, moving to within a point of the red line in their 2-1 win at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Friday evening. Quincy Amarikwa scored his third goal of the season as the Quakes made it three road games without a loss.
• The Dynamo had their winless streak stretched to six games with a fourth draw in that time, reaching a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC in a weather-delayed match on Sunday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium.
• The teams are meeting for the third time this season, the second time in three weeks. On July 31, Houston’s Alex and San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski scored on either side of halftime as the teams reached a 1-1 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium. In the first meeting May 11 at Avaya Stadium, Alberto Quintero scored twice as the Quakes claimed a 3-1 win.
• The draw in the last meeting was the second ever between the teams, the first since Sept. 13, 2008, when the teams played to a 1-1 result at Buck Shaw Stadium in the second meeting ever between the clubs.
• The two teams have shared a pitched rivalry since the Earthquakes returned to the league in 2008, after the Dynamo moved to Houston from San Jose in 2006. The Dynamo have won eight meetings and the Quakes six, with one draw.

REFEREE: Robert Sibiga. AR1 (bench): Jeremy Hanson; AR2 (opposite): Cameron Blanchard; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 14 games; FC/gm: 22.3; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 4; pens: 12

SUSPENDED: HOU: Abdoulie Mansally (through Aug. 21)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Anibal Godoy, Fatai Alashe
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: none
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (17 meetings): Earthquakes 7 wins, 22 goals … Dynamo 8 wins, 22 goals … Ties 2
AT SAN JOSE (9 meetings): Earthquakes 5 wins, 14 goals … Dynamo 3 wins, 9 goals … Ties 1

2016 (MLS):
5/11: SJ 3, HOU 1 (Quintero 3, 70; Godoy 50 – Clark 43)
7/31: HOU 1, SJ 1 (Alex 47+ -- Wondolowski 59)
• Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. HOU: P5 W2 L2 D1 … Wade Barrett vs. SJ: P1 W0 L0 D1